Cincinnati Bengals stay true to themselves with choice of Joe Mixon

With their second pick of the 2017 draft, they chose another dynamic offensive player while continuing to wait to address a defense in need of an athleticism upgrade.

»RELATED: Bengals gamble on Mixon

Putting that aside, Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon brings a lot to an offense that needed a running back more than it did the receiver (John Ross) who was drafted in the first round.

Mixon’s talent is undeniable.

He is listed at 6-foot-1, 226, but moves like a smaller man when he’s in the open field.

Mixon was very productive despite sharing time at running back at Oklahoma and is a big play waiting to happen at any time.

Here's something concerning from his NFL.com scouting report, though:

Kind of sounds like they drafted another version of their current big back, Jeremy Hill, though Mixon is more of a threat in the passing game.

And of course there is his history.

He committed an obviously heinous act when he hit a young woman in the face in 2014.

(Warning: Video is graphic)

He has gone through the legal process and been punished by the University of Oklahoma.

One said he could remain a free man if he took certain steps, and the other said he could stay in school but had to sit out a year. Now he’s got a job in the NFL.

To me, the people who have an issue with the third part of that should be more concerned about the first one.

I’ve never met Joe Mixon, so I don’t know him or what he’s about personally.

I tend to agree with Marvin Lewis, though, when he said it was it was one (albeit terrible) day in the young man’s life and he has a chance to move forward.

Let’s hope he makes the most of it even if he never accomplishes anything on the football field.

As I have written before, I have to give the Bengals credit for consistency: They don’t let fear of bad PR drive their decisions, as they proved in sticking by Adam Jones this offseason and again tonight.

Owner Mike Brown has made no attempt to hide how he feels about reclamation projects, and Lewis did not shy away from talking about Mixon’s rep when meeting with reporters after he was chosen.

Their approach has often helped them improve their roster at a discount, easily one worth a few negative headlines and angry tweets, which essentially mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

That’s helped them become a playoff team — and helped them exit the playoffs early, too.

Time will tell if they made the right move this time.